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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/25492717">A Life In Service</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/DarkDaemon/pseuds/DarkDaemon'>DarkDaemon</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Star Wars - All Media Types</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Evil Mom, Gen, Master &amp; Padawan Relationship(s), No Really We Mean It</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>In-Progress</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-07-24</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-07-24</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-05 03:22:59</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>3,565</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/25492717</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/DarkDaemon/pseuds/DarkDaemon</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Geonosis. Epicenter of the Clone Wars. The Chosen One, a Senator and Obi-Wan Kenobi face death in the arena, with only the Jedi and the clone army to save them. This time, the Jedi aren't coming. Even the Chosen One is an attachment, after all, and the army of enslaved clones is a moral compromise the Order won't make. On Coruscant, the would-be Emperor needs a new plan and the Republic is suddenly without its saviors.</p><p>That was ten years ago. This is now, where a girl who can brush the Force hurries home every night to catch dinner and the news from Imperial Center.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>A Life In Service</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>Thanks to Bright_Elen for betaing.</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>"Misya," the old Corellian at the shop counter said as he looked up at the timestamp on the Imperial holonet scroll, "you can run home now. You know your mother doesn't like you to be late."</p><p>Later for dinner. Late for the nightly newscast from Imperial Center. Late and around on the streets of Elya where a nine-year-old girl could get into trouble at night.</p><p>"Yes yes!" Misya laughs, flashing her blue tongue and white teeth before she turns on her heels and heads off down the road. Mom always yelled at her to look both ways, but she really didn't need to, she just... knew when it was ok to cross. Adults were so silly, so slow, it was funny when it wasn't boring.</p><p>There were more speeders in Elya lately. The Banking Clan had moved out three years ago and the Empire had moved in. Since then, there were fewer droids and more soldiers on leave from the garrison in their neat uniforms. More spaceships carrying more people from strange places, too, with their strange goods for the markets. It felt like the city was growing just like she was. It was exciting, and new, and she'd even once seen an Imperial soldier without his helmet. He saw her, and she'd been scared but then she realized he was just tired and happy so she giggled and ran away. Misya loves running, it feels good in her legs and chest and gets rid of that achy-needy-feeling.</p><p>"Misya!" Her mother's voice catches her running through the door, scolding and warm at the same time. "You're all dirty again. Where have you been running to?"</p><p>"Nowhere!" Misya chirps without thinking, smiling brightly, panting. "Just running home so I won't be late! Is dinner ready?"</p><p>"Yes, darling." Her mother sighs, still shaking her head but with a smile on her lips. "It'll be on the table in a minute. Go wash yourself. Old Feur isn't working you too hard, is he?"</p><p>"No, no! I move boxes and stack stuff and count things and say hi to the customers, it's fun! And I get to have two treats a day!" She smiles, rummaging in her pockets. "I know you like Kalgo chips, so I got you some. I only had a few of them." She produces a deeply wrinkled bag of chips and puts them on the table. It's all crumbs that might have been two lonely chips at one point in their life. Misya's already gone to the bathroom, humming her favorite song.</p><p>Her mother has the food on the table when she comes back, and the newsfeed up. Stories about all the ways the Empire's making the galaxy more peaceful and orderly. Imperial Troopers making sure the Seppies don't make trouble for anybody anymore. Her mother always wants to watch it, even when it's boring. She won't say why, but it always seems to make something inside her mother relax. Like she's afraid the Seppies might come back to Elya someday or something? It's hard to tell. It's kinda neat, at least the first presenter - Daila - she's pretty. But she's not on for long, so Misya eats and kicks her feet. "Why can't we watch toons?"</p><p>"Misya," her mother says, patting her hand, "don't you want to know what's happening?"</p><p>Misya shrugs. "It's always the same stuff. What the Empire's building, how we've beaten the Seppies-" She glances up at the battlefield reporter, going on about winning. She frowns. "He's lying," Misya says.</p><p>"Misya!" Her mother frowns. "What a thing to say."</p><p>"He is!" Misya pouts, crossing her arms, glaring down at the table. "You said lying is bad."</p><p>"It is," her mother agrees after a moment or two. "Of course it is. If he's lying, that is very bad."</p><p>The girl looks up, looks over at him. "He is." She pokes at her porridge. "And that's not a real soldier next to him."</p><p>Her mother doesn't ask her how she knows that, or why. After a few more moments of awkward silence she switches the vidscreen to toons and focuses on her own porridge. </p><p>The smell of her mother's fear doesn't help the porridge taste good.</p><p>The toons are fun, and at first Misya thinks that mom's scared of the wookie, and she turns her head to let mom know the wookie's not gonna get any of the troopers - but that's not it. "Mom? Why are you - scared?"</p><p>Her mother looks up, startled, and works the edge of her lip against her teeth for a few moments before she answers. "You see so much, little Misya. I never know what you imagine and what you see."</p><p>"Why is that scary, mom?" Misya frowns, trying to figure it out. Then Trooper Jay yells and she turns to look, losing track of her thoughts.</p><p>"The galaxy can be a scary place, my love," her mother whispers, almost lost in the sound of the toons. "I hope they keep you safe from that."</p><p>"Yeah! Trooper Jay and his squad help keep everyone safe!" She always liked the toons better, even though her friends liked Silly Steve. Steve didn't lie, but he wasn't - real. But everyone acted like he was.</p>
<p></p><div class="center">
  <p>++++++++++++++</p>
</div><p>Now that she was ten, and a big girl, Feur sometimes had her run a delivery - like today. Misya didn't really know where Koval's shop was, but she wasn't worried about finding it. Her feet carried her where she needed to go, they always did, and she flew along. She hopped down from an overpass and rolled, letting out a whoop of joy, and came to some stairs - fire stairs, or something. She started making her way down - there it was, the edge of a sign - ‘val’, but backwards, right there mostly around the corner.</p><p>She bounded down to the street and nearly ran into the black folds of someone's cloak. She never ran into anyone, she always knew they were there! And then she felt it. A faint oil sheen on water spread out for miles suddenly pulling together into a cloud and then a pool and then something solid and looming. </p><p>"Hello, child," said a woman's voice, gently amused in the midst of the sudden frozen stillness of the street. "What's your name?"</p><p>She was very tall, taller than Koval, and she moved gracefully in a way very few adults did. The hood obscured her face, but she was human. Misya could make out very short hair and a face that would have looked nicer with horns. She was also wearing armor and a skirt under the cloak. It reminded Misya of some of the important people from the Empire she'd seen on the news.</p><p>Misya gaped, blinking, stepping back. "Where did you come from?!" She nearly dropped the important package she was carrying but caught it again, still staring at the woman. She swallowed, and remembered. "Mom says not to talk to strangers," Misya adds softly.</p><p>"Your mother sounds like a very wise woman," the stranger said, folding bother arms behind her back and staying quite still. She still felt like a condensed thunderstorm just standing there. "Are you delivering that? Am I delaying you?"</p><p>"Um. Yes." She points. "To Koval's shop. It's my job. It's very important," Misya says, because the woman clearly doesn’t understand.</p><p>"Then you should definitely do that," the woman said, nodding seriously as she stepped aside. "It's very important that we all do our jobs, isn't it?"</p><p>Misya nods rapidly, smiles, and dashes into the shop, the bell ringing in her wake. "Mr. Koval Mr. Koval! Important delivery from Feur!"</p><p>"T-thank you, Misya," Mister Koval says, looking pale right down to his lekku. For some reason he's looking more out through the windows than at her when he takes the package. "That's very good of you. Thank Feur for me. Do you want a honey stick?"</p><p>"Oh! Yes please Mr. Koval please!" She bounces in place, beaming brightly, excited about the honey. It's not real honey, but it's gotta be just as good. If real honey was better, why, that just doesn't make sense.</p><p>He fumbles one out of his pocket and smiles at her with his teeth. "Thank you, Misya. You - you can go back now."</p><p>"Ok!" She grabs the stick, whirls around and takes a step, then spins back. "Nothing to send back to Feur?" She looks up at Koval, nods without waiting for his answer. "Yup, you didn't forget nothing." She steps out, looks over at the strange woman. "Koval's real scared of you. Why? Do you want half my honey stick?"</p><p>"I would love half your honey stick," the woman says, crouching down to put herself closer and holding out a gloved hand. "Mister Koval has been doing business with people he shouldn't, but if he's helpful then we'll find a way to forgive him for that. Especially if he gives honey sticks to nice girls like you. What's your name?"</p><p>Misya's already nibbled off the end of the stick and slurped up 'half' - there's a quarter left. At best. "Huh. He's real nice, he'll be helpful. I'm Misya. What's your name?"</p><p>"My name is Eithne. It's very good to meet you, Misya. You're a very special girl." Eithne takes a small sip of the stick and hands it back, smiling, her cloak hanging about her like a set of folded wings. "Do you like your job?"</p><p>"Uhuh. I get two treats a day and I get to run around and I'm helping momma with the bills and Feur with his shop and I get to meet people." She finishes up the honey and tosses the empty stick into a trash can - behind her, over her shoulder. "I've gotta get back to it! It was nice meeting you, Miss Eithne!"</p><p>"It was nice meeting you, young miss Misya," Eithne says. She rises to her feet again, and the storm of her spreads out into the air again until it's just a shimmer of haze. "Maybe we'll meet again soon. But first I have to talk to Mister Koval."</p><p>Before Eithne goes, Misya tugs on her cape. "How do you do that, Miss Eithne?"</p><p>"Would you like me to teach you?" Eithne smiles. "It can take some time, but it's a very good trick."</p><p>"Yeah!" She bounces in place, lip screwed up. "Oh no, I really really have to go, but I'll come find you! Bye Miss Eithne!" She dashes off, waving back as she darts around the corner.</p><p>Eithne stands watching her go for a long moment, a small smile on her lips. After a few breaths, she turns to go into the shop with something rather more important to ask Koval on her mind.</p>
<p></p><div class="center">
  <p>++++++++++++++</p>
</div><p>Misya doesn't mean to be late for dinner - really, she doesn't! But there was a street fair in the Ithorian section and old Feur needed a little extra help and it's only a few minutes anyway. She barges in through the front door, waving an Ithorian flag-puppet-thing. "Sorry I'm late momma, there was a fair! Hi Miss Eithne! Did you come over for dinner?" She gets her shoes off and steps through to the dining room, waving cheerfully to both women.</p><p>"Hello, Misya," Miss Eithne says from where she's sitting at the table. Her cloak is over the back of the chair and a packet of sweet buns is open on the table in front of her. "I brought some food to make dinner a little more exciting. I hope you don't mind that your mother and I were talking?"</p><p>Her mother reached out to catch Misya up for a hug when she came into reach. "You've met Dame Eithne already, Misya?" she says in an uneven, shivery voice. She's feeling all sorts of things and none of them very clear.</p><p>"We met earlier," Miss Eithne says, smiling. "As I was saying, your daughter is a very special girl."</p><p>Misya giggles, hopping up on her chair. "Sweet buns! Thank you, may I have one?" She laughs again, smiling at her mother. "Everyone says I'm special. I met Miss Eithne while I was working! She makes people really scared, but she's nice. You don't have to be scared of her, momma!"</p><p>"I'm not scared, sweetheart," her mother said, which was... sort of true? It was confusing. </p><p>"Help yourself, Misya," Miss Eithne said, smiling and patting Misya's hand. "You can have all the sweet buns you want."</p><p>"Ok! I'll have one and you have one and momma can have one and there'll be some for tomorrow." Misya grabs one, chewing down on it, kicking her feet.</p><p>"So why'd you come for dinner, Miss Eithne?"</p><p>"Because of you, sweet girl," Miss Eithne says, still smiling while she folds her hands in front of her. "Because of the very special things you can do, and how you can use them to do much more exciting and important jobs."</p><p>Misya blinks, glancing between Eithne and her mother. "But... I like my job," she says around a mouthful of bun.</p><p>Her mother is paling into a light pink, fingers fidgeting, but she doesn't say anything and she still doesn't quite feel scared.</p><p>"I think you'd like mine more," Eithne says, smiling. "And you could do much more good for the people of the Empire in mine."</p><p>"Oh. But who's gonna help out Feur? He has trouble reaching the high shelves. And the low shelves. And sometimes he misplaces his glasses."</p><p>"I'm sure we can find someone to help Feur with his... shop?" Eithne tilts her head slightly at Misya's mother, who nods a couple of times very quickly. "With his shop. Wouldn't you like to see the whole galaxy instead of just Elya?"</p><p>"Oh!" Misya's brows raise. "But I haven't seen all of Elya yet - but, like Trooper Jay? Or a field trip?" She turns to her mother, and frowns. "Momma...? What's... wrong?"</p><p>Her mother looks at Eithne for a moment, nervous, and Eithne makes a small go-ahead gesture with her hand. Her mother swallows, then reaches over to take Misya's hand in both of hers. "It's a big opportunity, sweetheart. A big, wonderful, important life. But because you're special, people might try to hurt you or take you away, and even if that doesn't happen then you'd travel a long way from me. Everyone has to do that when they grow up, but I didn't think you'd grow up yet."</p><p>"More like Sir Kell," Eithne says gently. "Does he appear with Trooper Jay? I can never remember if that went through or not."</p><p>"No. Who's Sir Kell?" Misya looks back to her mom, and then hops off her chair, hugging her tightly. "I love you, momma. And I'll come back. Joe visits his momma. I'll visit."</p><p>"I love you, baby," her mother whispers, hugging her back just as tightly. "I'd love you to visit. You'll be taken care of?"</p><p>"We take care of our own," Eithne says quietly, firmly. "And your momma will be very well taken care of too, Misya."</p><p>"Oh! Will you get someone to fix the shower? It leaks sometimes."</p>
<p></p><div class="center">
  <p>++++++++++++++</p>
</div><p>Misya's mother packs her a small bag, hugs her and kisses and makes her promise that she’ll be careful and stay close to Miss Eithne. Miss Eithne even walks Misya to old Feur's shop to say goodbye.</p><p>Finally, they step off the speeder they just took to the spaceport. Miss Eithne's ship sits there like a hungry crab. It has big wings folded up and its cockpit sitting forward like a head - with soldiers there who are waiting for them. They wear armor in Miss Eithne's colors - red and black. She tells them Misya is with her and the soldiers are very helpful. </p><p>Miss Eithne hands her cloak off to one of the soldiers so she can stand straight in her uniform. "If you're very careful and don't touch the controls, you can sit with me while we leave," she says. "Would you like that?"</p><p>Misya nods so hard and fast her neck hurts, her lips wide in a smile, showing a hint of blue. She nearly vibrates on the plasteel deck of the ship.</p><p>Eithne laughs - it seems like Misya's excitement makes her happy - and she walks Misya through into the head of the shuttle. She sits down, pointing to the seat next to her. "There," she says.</p><p>Then she starts to touch the controls in front of her, and the ship hums to life underneath them.</p><p>Misya stares, eyes bright, hands tight on the armrests so she won’t accidently touch anything important. "Wow! You know how to fly, Miss Eithne? You're so cool! Will I - will I get to be like you?"</p><p>"Yes, Misya. I very much intend that you will. You'll learn to fly, to defend yourself, to investigate trouble and find out the cause, how to hunt...." Eithne flips another switch, lowers her hands to the controls, and then lets out a breath. Smiles. "How to use the Force." </p><p>The shuttle floats up into the air like a feather on its repulsorlifts, drifting up out of the hangar bay, and the nose angles up. Something hums in the frame, then goes still, and then Eithne touches the throttle. </p><p>The whole ship surges up into the sky like it wants to run.</p><p>"The Force? But... only Knights and Jedi can use the Force." Misya cranes up in her seat, smiling as she watches the port pull away.</p><p>"You're going to be an Imperial Knight, Misya," Eithne says as the violet of the sky starts to thin out toward black and the stars start to show through. "Like me."</p><p>"Oh," Misya says softly, staring down at the planet, swallowing. Her mood plummets.  "I - I can't see our house," she murmurs, drawing her limbs in, trembling. "I - I don't know how to get home -"</p><p>"Let me show you how to use the navicomputer," Eithne says softly. "Then you'll always be able to find your way wherever you want to go. Would you like that?"</p><p>Misya’s lip trembles and she shakes her head. "N-no! I - I wanna go home!"</p><p>"What will you do when you get there?" Eithne says in that same soft, measured voice while she works the controls. "How will you protect yourself or your mother from those who'll come looking after me? You shine like a beacon, Misya. People will see it."</p><p>"I don't know!" she screams, breath sharp, eyes wet. "I - I just miss my momma! It's not fair! I hate you!" Misya leaps from the chair, pawing at the door until it opens and scurries away, homing in on her little bag like a blubbery, crying, tantruming missile. People move around behind her, troopers make space ahead of her, but it's the dark pool of Eithne she feels coming quietly toward her, lapping from the walls and the troopers and the decking until Eithne kneels down behind her.</p><p>"The galaxy isn't fair, Misya," Eithne murmurs, "but we can try to make it that way. Together. And you can hate me or love me, but I'm going to teach you either way. For you and for the Empire."</p><p>"Go away," Misya mutters, nearly too quietly to hear. She clutches at her favorite doll - a fluffy little durai crab - glaring up at Eithne between sniffles.</p><p>"I can't do that," Eithen says softly. "I promised your mother, and it's my duty. But I can do this." </p><p>And then she leans forward and puts both her arms around Misya, pulling her close and holding her like she's holding the crab - tightly. Misya struggles a moment, legs flailing, and without any warning presses herself into Eithen, sobbing and bawling and crying, clutching to the woman.</p><p>"There now," Eithne whispers, holding her. Rocking her gently on the floor of the shuttle as the ship trembles a moment and everything familiar flickers out like a lost spark. "There now. I'm here. I'm here, my apprentice. You're with me."</p><p>"Momma!" Misya screams, the connection that'd been there her whole life finally flickering out. She gapes, shocked, shaking, clutching to Eithne. "Don't go, please don't go, I'm sorry, I'm sorry, please don't leave me, I'm sorry, please stay Miss Eithen, I'm so sorry!"</p><p>"It's only distance, Misya," Eithne whispers, rocking her, holding her. "It's only distance. She's still there. She's still there. And I'm here, Misya, and I won't leave you. I won't leave you. You'll stay with me." The feeling of Eithne washes over her, and the shriek of fear inside her echoes something tight and sharp inside Eithne like a string. "We'll keep each other safe."</p><p>Misya nods, trembling, clutching at Eithne's armor and limbs, scrambling to press close. "I can't feel momma," she whimpers. "I've always felt momma. She's always been there."</p><p>"I never knew my mother," Eithne whispers. "But I grew up in a Temple, people always there - mostly the same people. And one day they were gone, and I was so angry they were gone, little Misya. So angry." She presses a kiss against Misya's horn, rubbing her back gently. "We have the whole galaxy now. Together."</p><p>Misya nods, catching her breath in shuddering gasps, clinging tight, cheeks wet with tears. "That's awful. People - people shouldn't go away." Her hand finds Eithne's, squeezes. "I'll never go away, Miss Eithne."</p><p>"We'll go together," Eithne whispers, working her gauntlet off and then squeezing Misya's fingers in hers. "You and I, Misya. We'll go together."</p>
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